Spiders terrify some people. I used to work in a juvenile lockdown facility for boys. As you can imagine, each teen tried to act mean. One student screamed and jumped over a cubicle wall when a spider fell from the ceiling on him. Surprisingly, the boys didn’t laugh because they too were slightly horrified at the size of the spider. As the adult and authority figure, I removed the spider from the room to the outside. This simple procedure grew me into almost superhero proportions.

Why do people fear spiders? Most have heard you’ll die a terrible death from a spider bite. The last report death from a spider bite in the United States was back in 2004. There’s better chance of lightning strike since 300+ people die from being struck per year. Food allergies send people to the emergency room every nine minutes. Yet, neither lightning nor a jar of peanuts causes the reaction that a spider does, despite the fact that both are more deadly.

Spiders have a bad reputation earned possibly from their depiction as blood sucking creatures, which isn’t totally correct. They inject a substance into their prey that liquefies their body parts, which they then eat. Any non-herbivores, including humans, eat meat, but don’t earn the creepy status that spiders have. They show up in fiction as disturbing imagery. Only Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web did the spider have a noble purpose. Sighting a spider is a good thing. Really.

A giant spider has built her web outside our back door, which puts me in contact with her several times a day as I let my dog out. It makes sense I’d investigate her message.

Patience The spider labors long on her web, and then she waits for the prey. The spider is a reminder that what we need or want takes effort and patience.

Creativity Countless photos of dewdrops shimmering on a spider web exist for anyone who cares to look for it. The web is beautiful and reminds us of sacred geometry, which is a part of spider’s DNA. She is especially important to writers since she is the keeper of the primordial alphabet.

Feminine EnergyIn history and legend, women have been the weavers of thread and life.

Balance Ever watch a spider negotiate its web. There are sticky strands and non-sticky strands. The spider knows which ones to use. It is a reminder to balance our lives between the past, present, and future. It is also a reminder to take a break, even a small one, to recharge.

Infinity The spider body is shaped like the number eight on its side, which is also the symbol for infinity. This represents the eternal and limitlessness.

More Messages from the Spider

She reminds us we create our own life. We are not victims of circumstance.

A spider bite is very unusual because spider fangs can’t penetrate human skin. What happens is we usually roll over on a spider using our body weight to force the fangs into our skin. A spider bite is symbolic that what we are doing currently in our lives is not to our best benefit.